Fear
by Dragontech 4.9
Summary: The Na'vi aren't the only intelligent species that lives on Pandora. And not even Eywa will be able to stand up to the horrors that they created.
1. Bloodshed

_Thanks for checking out my story! My first 'Avatar' fic so some of the names might be a little off. I only saw the movie once so if I get anything about the humans or Na'vi wrong, please let me know._

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any of the characters, locations, events, or anything else from 'Avatar'

* * *

It had been three human months since the Sky People had been exiled from Pandora and the Omiticaya still had yet to find a proper home tree to house the large tribe. For the time being though, they had to remain at the tree of souls. Several scouts had been sent out to try and locate a new one but their searches have lead to dead ends.

One of the scouts had returned and was walking to the edge of the cliff near the arches that covered the tree of souls. He was immediately stopped by two other Na'vi that were guarding the rest of the Omiticaya. Ever since the Sky People had left, the security of the tribe was stepped up immensely. That is not to say it wasn't tight before, but now they knew that they couldn't be too careful. The one scout exchanged a few words with the guards as proof of his being a real Na'vi and not a dream-walker or from being in another tribe. After he was accepted, he climbed back towards the tree of souls and the guards returned to their original posts.

Once one of the guards had stopped moving, the first thing he felt was a thing vine wrapped around his neck, it tightened very quickly he was without breath. He struggled against his unknown assailant but to no avail. No matter what he did, the vine only got tighter. He tried to scream for help from one of the other guards, but no breath or voice could escape his mouth. After that, his body fell limp in seconds and the killer let go and moved away, carrying the body with it.

* * *

As the first rays of light pierced into the tree of souls, most of the Omiticaya were already woken up. Jake was woken up by the loud commotion that was being created underneath the arches of the tree of souls. As soon as he opened his eyes and looked toward where most of the people were standing, it did not take him very long to see why there was cause for concern.

The seven guards were all hanging by their necks from the arches above the tree of souls. As Jake got closer he could see that in the sections of vine around the victim's necks, nails of some sort had been stabbed in at four identical locations on all seven Na'vi. The one thing that caught Jake's eye though, was that on all of the victims, there was a letter 'E' carved on their chests.

As the Omiticaya were trying to piece everything together through the sadness of those lost and the fear of whomever or whatever may have done this and whether they will strike again, a figure sitting in one of the trees outside the cliffs of the tree of souls was smiling lightly to himself, looking down at the Na'vi, admiring his latest work.

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_Yeah it's short, but I didn't know how to really transition to the next part without making it another chapter. Trust me, when Chapter 2 comes out, that part might make a little more sense. _


	2. The safest place

Welcome to chapter 2!

See previous chapter for Disclaimer.

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Since a new Olo'eyktan had yet to be elected or otherwise chosen, Jake decided to try and organize the Omiticaya and keep a general atmosphere of calm throughout them. Even without his help, most of the Na'vi already knew that the first thing to do was to give the seven guards proper funerals. They were all cut down and put gently into pits dug into the ground while other Na'vi recited spiritual speeches and planted woodsprites customary to these ceremonies. As soon as that was done, Jake took charge. He stood atop a rock that was slightly higher than the surrounding ground. Once he was up there, the rest of the tribe quickly silenced. Neytiri followed him up there and acted as translator.

"Brothers, sisters, as you are probably all aware, this will no longer provide a safe haven for the Omiticaya." Jake started. Neytiri was quick to translate.

"Therefore," Jake continued, "I propose that we transfer ourselves to Hell's Gate. The former fort of the Sky People." As soon as Neytiri heard this, she grabbed Jake and pulled him to face her.

"Jake, are you out of your mind!? We can't take refuge in something built by them!" she whispered yet hissed.

"Neytiri, think about it. The murders were done in the black of night, out in the open. If we can get everybody inside, I could keep the whole place lit so the killer couldn't possibly stalk anybody. Not to mention, it's far away. If we leave today, the killer might not be able to follow us." Jake explained rather hastily to Neytiri. The rest of the Omiticaya were talking and whispering to themselves about why the announcement had stopped. Both Jake and Neytiri got back to their original positions and the speech continued. Neytiri reluctantly gave the translation of the plan that Jake had. There was a small uproar of complaints from the Na'vi that knew where it was that Jake had decided on going but Neytiri continued to explain why it was important that they go to Hell's Gate specifically. Soon after that, the commotion ceased, and they were all instructed to get ready to move as soon as possible.

* * *

Flying on only ikrans with Jake's toruk leading the way, it took a few hours before Hell's Gate was in view. It had changed quite a bit more than expected since Jake remembered seeing it last. Plants had started to creep in and several of the buildings looked broken into. The fences had been crushed and power was out everywhere. The ikrans landed inside the fence barrier and Jake landed just in front of them signaling to hault. It was dusk and visibility was poor. Knowing that any creature could be lurking inside the walls almost made Jake reconsider his decision. They had landed near one of the larger buildings which also happened to have a side of the wall bashed in. He, Neytiri, and a few other warriors walked in slowly. Other warriors had stayed behind to protect the rest of the Omiticaya until Jake gave them the okay to go in.

Once inside, almost no light was visible. Found one of the walls and he walked alongside it hoping to find one of the levers that activated the lights. After a few minutes of searching, he finally found one. He just hoped that the generators were still running well enough to power the outpost. He threw the lever and there was a loud crackling noise followed by a low humming. The lights around them started to activate. They were dim at first but quickly became brighter. They could hear the reactions of the Na'vi outside and Jake told them that it looked safe enough to use.

As the Omiticaya came in and puzzled over the bizarre metal building, Jake noticed something odd. There was a faint trail of blood that lead from the opening to a turn in the hall that he couldn't see past. Letting his curiosity get the best of him, he turned to Neytiri and told her that he was going to take a look at where this trail lead.

"Let me come with you. In a place like this, I am certain that it would not be safe." Neytiri pleaded with Jake. He insisted though and explained why she had to stay. Once again, she reluctantly agreed. With that, Jake set off.

* * *

And that's chapter 2. Any guesses as to what's going to happen to Jake? I can assure you, that you probably won't see it coming…


	3. Hunted

_Welcome to chapter 3!_

**Disclaimer**: I don't feel like writing it for every chapter so from now on, you can always refer to the first chapter to read it…. If you go back to the first chapter to read it after every new chapter solely for the sake of reading it, I think you're weird.

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Night had completely fallen over Hell's Gate. Without the natural illumination that the forests had, it was impossible to see past the glow of the artificial lights. All of the Na'vi had settled themselves into their own respective spots on the metal floor. Between the fear of the killer, the unfamiliar surrounding, and the constant sound of ikrans walking on the rooftops, sleep was all but impossible for the Omiticaya. It was strange though. Most of the Na'vi that knew about Hell's Gate and what it actually was expected there to be more of the wild animals inhabiting the metal fortress. Despite the fact that it had been vacant for months, it was still completely uninhabited.

There was a loud screech from the ceiling of the room the Omiticaya were in. All of them immediately looked up and several of the hunters drew the bows and spears. An ikran suddenly fell in front of the opening in the wall that everyone had used to get in. The light that shined out of the opening was bright enough that someone could make out another letter 'E' carved on the ikran's wing. Several more followed. Each of them being thrown down forcefully. Two hunters ran outside the opening and pointed their arrows towards the roof. The sound of a struggle was obvious and it was far too dark for them to make out what was attacking and they weren't about to fire blindly. Both were hit hard though when one of the ikrans came down slamming into them. At the sight of this, the Na'vi that remained inside headed farther inside the complex away from the wall.

Neytiri headed to the front of the group and instructed them to follow her. Since she had shared a bond with Jake, she probably knew more about the layout of Hell's Gate than any other Na'vi on Pandora. Her knowledge might have been small, but it was enough to guide them to temporary safety. What they all ended up in was a large hexagonal room with sever broken computers and glass display screens. This room was even darker than the last. The only light that came through was from the lights that had been turned on in the room that everyone had just occupied. The only aspect of anything in the room that could be made out was its shape.

There was an atmosphere of panic which was then only worsened when the lights in that room suddenly came on. Several of the Na'vi drew their spears and bow and arrows and pointed them at the sound of light footsteps that they heard just before the lights came on. To their astonishment though, it was Jake. Neytiri was one of the several that was ready to shoot him. She sighed in relief and lowered her bow. The other Na'vi did the same. She ran over and embraced him starting to explain what had just happened in his absence.

"Don't worry Neytiri, from now on, everything is going to be alright." Jake said calmly to ease the tension not only on her, but all of the Na'vi within earshot. He wrapped one of his arms around her and raised it so his hand was touching her upper back. Neytiri backed up and broke the embrace and that was when she felt a sharp point on her back right where Jake's hand was. One of the other Na'vi saw that Jake was holding a knife ready to kill her.

"Look out!" the hunter shouted in Na'vi as he fired an arrow right at Jake's head…

* * *

_And that's chapter 3!_

Did you see it coming? Well, if you did, you are never going to guess what'll happen next!


	4. Severed Trust

_Welcome to chapter 4! Things start to get a little more intense starting with this chapter._

* * *

Jake grabbed Neytiri and got out of the way of the arrow just in time. The point barely grazed Neytiri's shoulder and left a perfectly strait cut. Jake didn't waste any time. He shot his arm forward to stab Neytiri but she grabbed his arm and twisted it around. Jake gritted his teeth and kicked her back several feet. As soon as that happened, another arrow went flying and hit him in the lower chest. He looked down at the arrow and then to the Na'vi that had fired it. His eyes narrowed as he ripped the arrow out of him, no doubt creating a bigger wound than before, and charged toward the Na'vi. He swung his arm but the arrow head missed. Mid swing, he twirled the arrow so it was facing the opposite direction and swung his arm back the other way, stabbing the archer in the neck.

As he was doing this, a spear was thrown and this one hit him in the leg. Jake collapsed onto one knee immediately. Once he was down, another arrow hit him in the back and he completely fell this time.

"None of you.. shall leave Hell's Gate.. alive!" Jake coughed out in perfect Na'vi with his last breath before falling lifeless. Everyone started gathering around his body, most of them in shock and disbelief that Jake was the one responsible.

* * *

An hour passed and it was well into the night. Jake's body had been moved outside the room the Omiticaya were occupying, but not completely outside. An air of sadness and fear hung over all inside. If what Jake said was true, then their ordeal wasn't over.

No one was able to sleep still. They were all alert and constantly listening for anything that could be coming inside. It was only because of this hightened awareness that some of the Na'vi were able to hear a faint "Hello?" in the distance spoken in both English and Na'vi. The sound got closer and the Na'vi now turned their heads toward it and prepared themselves for another fight. They heard quick and somewhat unsteady footsteps heading their way. They could now hear the voice clearly as it asked its question again. The voice sounded very familiar but the no one was able to say who it was.

"Ralos? Neytiri?" it called out again. All of the Na'vi were extremely tense now. A light shadow could be seen running toward the room they were all in. Suddenly, the figure walked completely into view and breathed a sigh of relief. Where it felt relief, all of the other Na'vi felt confusion. Neytiri was at the front of the group ready to fight and she seemed to be the most confused of all.

"Jake?" she asked. Half of her mind was bewildered as to how he could be alive and the other half was hopeful that this was the Jake she remembered. Her train of thought was broken though, when one of the archers prepared to fire.

"He's still alive!" he exclaimed. Now Jake was the one confused.

"What do you mean? Of course I'm alive! I'm standing right here in front of you!" Jake replied in the best Na'vi he could. He was getting understandably nervous.

"Listen! I have something very important to tell you. I know what has been killing our people!" Jake continued, trying to calm the archers rage.

"I don't believe you," the archer hissed. At this point, he was the only one threatening Jake, like Tsu'tey, he never completely trusted Jake and didn't need too much reason to threaten him like this.

"If you kill me, the Omiticaya clan will not survive the night!" Jake yelled. He had nothing else to say that might make this archer ease up. A few seconds later, he did. The entire room calmed soon calmed down and listened to what Jake had to say.

"Alright, this is what I found…" Jake began.

* * *

_And that's chapter 4!_

_Next chapter: we learn what Jake found on that blood trail and finally learn what this mysterious "other species" is!_


	5. The Advice of Strangers

_Welcome to chapter 5! Did anyone notice that I changed the summary?_

_Please note that this chapter is following Jake's investigation on the trail of blood and what he was seeing while the rest of the Omiticaya were being tormented. Enjoy!_

* * *

Jake set off and turned the corner that he couldn't see past before. The rest of the Omiticaya were completely out of view. He turned on more lights and revealed a very long hallway that the trail went on to the point where it made another turn that Jake couldn't see past from where he was standing. Not wanting to waste any time, he ran to the turn and continued to follow what little of the trail that he could see.

After he made the second turn, the trail stopped. It went off for a few more feet and then seemed to pool before stopping abruptly. Jake looked around at first for anywhere else that this trail might have gone but nothing was found. He looked up to see if the victim had been hanged like the ones back at the Tree of Souls, but he only saw a flickering light. Looking around again, he saw that there was a lot of debris around the old halls. There was also one rather large chunk of metal right where the trail pooled.

"Could it really be that obvious?" Jake asked himself. He almost laughed at the simplicity of what had only moments ago perplexed him. He got onto his knees and braced himself against the large piece of metal. After attaining a good grip with his feet, he pushed as hard as he could. The metal slab was much lighter than Jake had expected and he was able to push it aside with ease. After it was out of the way, it was revealed that the slab was covering up a hole in the floor large enough for a Na'vi which dug itself deep down into the earth to the point where only blackness could be seen. Jake grabbed a small bolt on the side of the hall and dropped it in. He waited for about three seconds before hearing the ringing sound of impact.

As Jake was about to go in, one of the lights nearby cracked and exploded. Jake jolted up to a fighting position and drew out his dagger. When he looked toward the sound, he could see that the entire area there was dark. He could've swore that it was just one light that went out, but it was pitch black in that area. Jake hissed as the shadows hoping to drive whatever might be there away. The blackness only inched closer to him. Jake took a step back and he almost fell into the hole. His heel was just leaning off of the edge. The shadows then hissed and a jet of black flame shot out at Jake's chest. His eyes widened and he quickly jumped into the hole not caring what might be down there as long as he was away from the shadows above.

He moved his hands to the sides of the hole in an attempt to slow himself down. His hands got scraped and cut very badly until he reached the bottom with a hard thud. It took him several seconds to recover. When he looked up, he noticed that it wasn't as dark as it looked from above. Everything had a slight green tinge to it. In the new light, Jake looked at his hands. They were covered in his own blood and the pain was great but he decided to press onwards into this mysterious cave underneath Hell's Gate.

As he got deeper into the cave, the green light became brighter and Jake was able to see clearly. It appeared that the light was coming from some sort of underground plant similar to the ones above. Jake was almost as awestruck as he was when he first saw the Pandoran jungle at night. His gaze towards everything was cut short by a voice from in front of him.

"Don't move!" it shouted in Na'vi. As the figure got closer, Jake could start to make out a silhouette. It was unlike anything that he saw on the surface. It was just about as tall as he was but completely black in color. It appeared to have a sharp beak like mouth with a horn running off of its forehead and curving towards it's back. On its back were a series of spikes that curved upward towards its head. The spikes got larger the higher up on the back they were. Near its shoulders were two draconic looking wings with this dark purple membranes. Both its arms and legs were boney in appearance like a human would look if they were underfed their whole lives. Its right arm ended in a reptilian looking hand with four fingers and one thumb. Its left hand was very similar except fingers on that hand ended in four claws that looked more like knife blades than anything else. The legs both ended in three toes. Two in the front and one in the back which ended in a sharply curved claw like that of a velociraptor back on Earth. The overall message that Jake was getting was not to mess with it.

"Who are you?" it said in Na'vi. Jake took a step back as the figure walked closer.

"Jake. Jake Sully of the Omiticaya clan." The figure stopped its approach at the sound of Jake's name. Jake looked confusedly at it.

"Really? Well then, you're a lucky guy Jake. Had you been anyone else, I would have cut you up and fed you to the wildlife that lives down here." The figure said now in english while lowering its guard.

"Why am I so lucky?" Jake asked while only accepting the fact that this creature could speak both Na'vi and English almost perfectly.

"Do you not realize how special you are Jake? You are probably the only thing in the universe that has lived as two different species in one lifetime. You are unique to the level that our kind would do anything to protect you." The creature continued in english.

"If your friendly and will do anything to protect me, then there is something you will need to answer for me." The creature now paying high attention to what Jake was about to say.

"Yesterday, we had to leave the Tree of Souls. Seven of my people had been murdered without any sign of struggle or who might of done it. They were hung by their necks and they had this bizarre letter 'E' carved into them and now it-" the creature cut him off.

"I already know the answer to your question. I know who has killed your people and what he is capable of." The figure paused, sighed, and continued. "I have no time to explain. But you need to get the rest of your people down here."

"Hey! All that I know is that there is something out there that shouldn't belong and it's killing my people. Now tell me what it is!" Jake commanded.

"For the sake of time all I can tell you is that if he finds you, do not try to fight him. I don't care if you have all of the Omiticaya with you. You will not win."

"Is he that dangerous?"

"Like I said, there is not time to fully explain, the sooner you get your people down here the better." The figure ordered. He had started to walk deeper into the cave.

"Wait! Who are you? How will I know you when we get back here?"

"I will be waiting for you and your people. Once they are all here, I will properly introduce me and my people." The figure finished before vanishing into the dark caves. One that last note, Jake ran back to the hole in which he cam in, and started to make his way back to the Na'vi.

* * *

_And that's chapter 5! Long one wasn't it? Yeah, I lied. You didn't really find out who or what was hunting the Omiticaya. Sorry._

_Next chapter: We actually learn what is killing the Omiticaya! Honest this time!_


	6. Demons and Monsters

_Welcome to chapter 6!_

_Wow, looking at the last couple of chapters, I have really bad memory. I can't even remember what I wrote in these little notes at the start and end of each chapter. I'll be sure to change them up later, but for now, I've got other stuff to do._

* * *

"-and that's what happened." Jake finished telling his story. He had only told it to the Na'vi that could speak English. He couldn't risk a misinterpretation due to his still poor Na'vi skills. All those that were listening had a fixed expression of confusion and disbelief.

"Wait, if this is where you have been this whole time, then who was it that attacked us?" Neytiri finally asked. Jake turned his attention to her.

"What?"

"A… thing attacked us," She answered. She refused to call it a person or one of the Omiticaya. They would have never turned on their own people.

"Where is it?" Jake continued to ask. She motioned her hand towards the hallway that they had put it. Jake noticed where she was pointing and stood up.

"Get everyone together. That is in the direction of the caves I mentioned. You can show me on the way there," Neytiri and Mo'at gathered everyone towards the hall and informed them of what they were about to do and where they were going. With a high sense of urgency around them, the Omiticaya wasted no time in moving and following Jake and Neytiri.

After a bit of walking, Neytiri stopped Jake as they had just reached where they put the body. Jake saw it immediately and carefully walked up to it. He knelt down beside it and examined it. All he could see was its back. The rest was facing away from him. He slowly grabbed the side of its face and turned it so that it was facing him. As the eyes and other figures came into few, Jake almost jumped back at seeing a perfect replica of himself. He then turned to Neytiri.

"Why didn't you tell me it looked like me?" Jake asked with a concerned voice.

"I… I didn't think that you would understand."

"But how is this possible?!" Jake shouted out. The other Na'vi were taken back by his sudden outrage. He then closed his eyes tightly trying to keep his mind on track and focused.

"Never mind, we have to keep moving." He returned to the front of the Omiticaya and they continued the trek along the trail of blood Jake had spotted earlier.

It wasn't long before they reached the end of the trail and the large metal slab covering the mouth of the cave. Jake pushed it out of the way revealing the pit that lay underneath. He wasted no time in seeing the rest of the clan to the bottom. Once everyone was down, he pulled the metal slab back over the opening and proceeded to the floor of the cave and walked the front of the group. He continued to lead them to the place where he first met the bizarre creature that had greeted him and waited for his arrival. He did say that he would be waiting for them after all.

"You got here faster than I expected Jake," called out a voice from deeper within the cave. All of the Na'vi turned to face the sound. Jake was the first to see the creature he met before and he walked quickly towards it.

"Alright. We're all here. Now tell us what it is that is going on!" Jake said impatiently.

"I will soon enough and I will tell it to your clan's leader," the creature stated in a calm voice.

"We don't have one decided yet,"

"Then bring me the closest thing you have to one. I will have my people escort your clan to a safer area of the caves," Jake nodded his head and ran back to Neytiri and Mo'at. After telling them about what the creatures wanted. They both headed off with him while the rest of the Omiticaya were greeted by more of the creatures that lived down here.

* * *

Jake, Neytiri, and Mo'at were led to a small sub-cave where they were instructed to sit down. The room was only dimly lit by bioluminescence that made the entire room glow a dark shade of blue.

"It is time you found out. I am telling you this so you can re-tell it to the rest of the Omiticaya. They will trust your words more than mine. So listen very carefully," the dark dragon like creature started.

"First, who I am. My name is Treolin. I am one of the Drakeons. The species that lives down here. We are fully aware of the kind of danger that has been presented to your people and will help you in any way to stop it," Treolin took in a deep breath and exhaled before continuing. "The killer's name is Escora. He is a villain among our people and in a sense, created by us." Jake, Neytiri, and Mo'at widened their eyes at the last sentence.

"Please, allow me to tell you the story," Treolin continued.

* * *

_(3 years ago…)_

_The humans had just brought in some of the first heavy weaponry to Pandora. The Drakeons, much like the Na'vi, had a new sense of fear about them from seeing the kind of damage that these machines could do. They could tear down sections of forest, and kill in seconds what might take them hours. As such the Drakeons had been driven underground. Escora was one of the scout hunters that regularly went up to the surface to collect food since there was little available underground._

_It was one of these near routine trips that Escora and his hunting group unwittingly wandered closer to the fences of Hell's Gate than they had anticipated. One of the AMP suits was making a patrol in their direction and they all quickly took cover. They weren't fast enough though as the suit took notice of their motion and started to lumber closer to them. Escora motioned for everyone to move through the bushes to get behind the suit and continue while he and one hunter tried to make a distraction._

_Escora and one of his fellow hunters crawled away from the human quickly trying to make sure that it saw them while not being to obvious. As soon as the suit had Escora in its sights, it fired a large explosive shell. Escora and his partner were able to dodge being hit directly from the charge but the blast caught them off guard. Escora went flying toward the fence of Hell's Gate just missing the electric wire while his partner was killed instantly. Thinking that they were both dead, the mech continued along its patrol while communicating to the inside that he had killed something._

_After he was out of sight, the other hunters ran over to Escora's body and picked him up. They carried him quickly back to the mouth of their current cave and rushed him to a group of three spiritualists. They then carried his near lifeless body to a large slab of rock and laid him down on it. The hunters soon left as they knew that the mystics were not to be disturbed during their rituals._

_The Drakeon spiritualists started chanting upwards in their own language as some of the plants and crystals near them glowed brighter. Escora slowly started to move his head to face one the Drakeons in the room. At this movement, the chanting stopped and they all looked at Escora attentively watching to see if he was fully awake. Escora grabbed one of the spiritualist's arms and weakly smiled. The Drakeon smiled back but only for a brief moment as she was swiftly lifted up and swung across the room impaled on one of the sharp crystals embedded in the wall. The others fled to the rest of the caves but Escora flew up and caught them. Escora turned the first Drakeon so that its back spikes were facing the other and he shoved them into him. Escora then stabbed the remaining Drakeon with his claws and ripped them up into his mouth. Both of the spiritualists fell dead in seconds and Escora flew into the rest of the cave system…_

* * *

"He then headed to the opening of the cave. Killing a total of fourteen of our people that got in his way," Treolin finished. Jake, Neytiri, and Mo'at were all speechless at what they had just heard. It was a mix of terror and awe of realization of what was hunting them and just how lucky they were to survive. They all sat there in silence for several moments, not knowing what else to say to each other.

"I'm surprised that he didn't try to take revenge on the Sky People for nearly killing him," Jake stated breaking the silence.

"He did," Treolin replied.

"What? They didn't mention anything like that when I first got here."

"That is probably because all the damage was repaired and it never happened again in the three years between then and when you arrived," Treolin answered immediately, almost cutting Jake off.

"Well, what happened? What kind of damage did it do? What is it exactly that we are fighting against?" Treolin took another deep breath.

"Several super-natural abilities. He can create this strange black flame that can be manipulated as a solid object. Like a whip or a sword. He can control dead objects without touching them,"

"Telekinesis?" Jake continued to question. Neytiri gave him a light slap for being rude.

"Yes Jake, exactly. But by far, the most disturbing of his abilities, is his ability to create a _shadow_," Jake, Neytiri, and Mo'at all gave confused expressions.

"A shadow is what we refer to as a duplicate made by Escora. By just looking at someone, he can make a near perfect copy of that being that will serve his every demand. Also, having made this copy, he can see through its eyes, and read its thoughts. Essentially, being able to read the mind of whatever he made the shadow of," Treolin explained.

"So that is what attacked us. A shadow of Jake?" Neytiri realized. Treolin nodded.

"Where did he get these powers?" Mo'at finally spoke.

"To answer that, you will need to speak with our leader, Xavion," Treolin answered.

* * *

_And that's chaper 6! _

_Wow that was long! Anyway, I hope you all like the new species that I created and the story too._

_Next chapter: We find out just what or __who__ might have given Escora these powers and we look a little into Drakeon culture!_


	7. Divine Revelations

_Welcome to chapter 7!_

_Just a reminder folks, Treolin, Escora, and Xavion (although if your reading this you haven't really met him yet) are all my characters. Please, don't use them without my permission. (Because I know that so many of you are planning to do so, right?)_

* * *

Treolin instructed Neytiri to go back to the rest of the Omiticaya which she agreed to reluctantly. After she had left, Treolin started to lead Jake and Mo'at through the series of caves that the drakeons now called home. As Jake was looking at the other drakeons, he noticed something odd. Some of them had strange pictures or symbols drawn out on their arms, chest, and heads. Almost like a tattoo but these all glowed a faint but light shade of blue.

"Treolin, what are all of the markings that some of your people have mean?" Jake asked curiously.

"They are symbols of triumph over the other great beasts of Pandora. If a hunter is able to kill one of these three beasts and live to tell about it, that hunter will have the symbol of that beast carved into their skin. A glowing blood from the plants down here is then slid into the cuts allowing everyone to see what the hunter has accomplished clearly," Treolin responed.

"What are the three great beasts?"

"The Toruk, the beast of the sky. The Palulukan, the beast of the ground. And the Auropin, the beast of the water,"

"An _Auropin_? What's that?"

"The best that I could compare it to is a large underwater scorpion of your original planet. Now then, we have arrived, I will go and see Xavion is willing to see you," With that Treolin left to another smaller cave. Jake and Mo'at waited as patiently as they could given the circumstances. It wasn't long before Treolin walked back out giving them permission to enter.

When they walked in, they say a massive array of large crystals jutting upward creating a wide tunnel. They appeared to contain veins of glowing material making the entire room brightly lit with a green aura. At the end of this tunnel was Xavion. As Jake examined him, he saw that he had two of the warrior symbols carved out on him. One was on his chest and the other was on his upper right arm. The one on his chest showed six large claws pointing upwards at his shoulders and the one on his arm showed a basic skeletal like picture of a scorpion from a vertical view.

"So this is the Jake Sully that I have heard about?" Xavion started to speak.

"I understand that you have been having trouble with Escora?" he continued, "And you want to know just where he got his powers?" he had finished summing up everything that Jake and Mo'at wanted to know.

"I am sorry to tell you that such knowledge is key to our history and to explain it all to you would take days of what precious time your clan has,"

"Just tell us the short version," Jake interrupted with an impatient tone.

"Very well, I am not one to deny knowledge to those who need it most…" Xavion paused.

"His powers come from Drega. Our guardian and overseer. You see, hundreds of years ago, Drega was no greater than you or me. But that all soon changed once he was in charge of the Drakeon species. In giving his life for the survival of both Drakeon and Na'vi, he was able to grant himself god like powers that he could only control in death. Now, it seems as though he has passed them on to Escora, who cannot control them in his living form and results to violence to ease the stress put on his body," Xavion explained.

Both Jake and Mo'at were wide eyed. It had never occurred to them that Eywa wasn't the only all seeing force that might have resided on Pandora and now that force was out to kill him.

"Why do you think that he is specifically hunting the Na'vi?" Jake asked.

"Of that, I'm uncertain Jake," Xavion answered. Jake and Mo'at had gotten what they came for and thanked Xavion before leaving the crystal tunnel. Treolin guided them back to where the Omiticaya were being held for the time being. It was crowded. Most of them had to sleep on rocks but Jake could only smile at that they were getting their first hours of sleep in what had probably been over a full day. It was impossible to tell time down in the caves. Jake looked around for Neytiri who was laying down near the wall of the cavern and carefully walked over to her.

"Room for one more?" Jake asked jokingly. Neytiri slowly opened her eyes to see Jake kneeling down beside her.

"Barely," she responded. Jake took that as a 'yes' and laid down right next to her. Once he did, she draped one of her arms around his stomach and pulled him in a little closer. After a torturous day, it was not long before they were both fast asleep.

* * *

_Jake found himself on the surface of Hell's Gate. There were still humans around, everything looked just like it did when he first arrived. He looked at himself to find that he was still in his Na'vi form but nobody around seemed to take any notice. There were the standard patrols of AMP suits and regular infantry marching along the airfield._

"_Look out!" one of the soldiers yelled as the torso of one of the AMP suits came crashing into the field like an asteroid. Everyone nearby ran toward it so see if the driver was alright. Jake also tried to get a closer look. Once everyone was within a few yards of the wreckage, the glass cockpit exploded sending shards out like spears impaling all who stood by except for Jake. He seemed to be unharmed. A dark shape jumped out of the wreckage but it was moving too fast for Jake to make it out. All he could see were the bodies of soldiers being tossed around like leaves in a strong wind. After a bit more carnage, the ground erupted into black flames. Jake then remembered the description of Escora's powers that Treolin had told him about. He now knew what he was watching. _

_His train of thought was broken when a loud explosion came crashing over Jake's body. He then tried to dodge several boulders that were thrown in his direction even though he wasn't the target. He heard two cries of fear from behind him as he turned around just in time to see two soldiers crushed under the rocks. After that, everything became much quieter. The only sound he could hear was the constant crackling of the black fire around him. Despite finally having a moment to take in all of the damage, he still could not find Escora anywhere._

* * *

Jake opened his eyes to see that he was still in the cave of the Drakeons. Despite it being relatively cold in the caves, he was sweating and his body was extremely tense.

"Jake?" he heard a familiar female voice ask him. Neytiri was sitting in front of him with an obvious look of concern written on her face.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. It was just a dream," Jake responded to help her concern.

"I can tell that this was no ordinary dream. What happened?" she continued to ask with a worried tone. Jake looked down at the cold rocks beneath them hoping to find some way to answer her truthfully, but while not frightening her.

"Neytiri, I… I feel like a part of me has died," he answered shakingly. Saying that only a part of him died was an understatement. He felt absolutely miserable and empty.

"Do you think it is because of the _shadow_ that Treolin mentioned?"

"Well, I saw Escora in my dream," Neytiri's eyes widened.

"You actually saw him? How did you know?"

"Not exactly. I can only assume it was him. The powers that he used seemed to fit the description Treolin gave us. I think.." Jake paused.

"You think what?" Neytiri urged him on. She was now worried more than ever that Escora was closer than they thought.

"I think that he might have shown me when he took revenge on The Sky People," Jake finished all of his thoughts. Neytiri still wasn't content about anything yet and Jake could tell.

"Neytiri, we're safe down here. Escora doesn't know where we are anymore," Jake said doing his best to calm her down. Since words didn't seem to be working, he pulled her into a tight embrace. While holding her, he slowly drifted back to the ground pulling her with him until she was laying on top of him. She rested her head on his chest and they both fell back to sleep.

* * *

_And that's chapter 7!_

_Oh, and by the way, Drega is my own character too. Sometime, maybe after I finish this story, I write another following him and how he became a god to the drakeons._

_Next chapter: We finally get to meet Escora in the present!_


	8. Madness to Hatred

_Welcome to chapter 8!_

_Not much to say in this note about this chapter, but enjoy none the less!_

* * *

Jake and a mixed group of both Drakeon and Na'vi hunters were gathered near the entrance to the cave system that led to Hell's Gate. Treolin was in the front of the group leading them to the mouth of the cave. Their mission was to find and kill Escora. Hopefully with their combined efforts they might be able to succeed.

"Treolin!" Jake shouted as he jogged to catch up with his swift pace. "How do you expect us to kill him if he is so powerful?" Jake knew that Treolin had briefed the hunters on what they were about to do, but Jake was too tired from last night at that point to make out everything that he had said.

"Despite all of his powers, he is still mortal. It would take no more spears to kill him as it would you. The challenge is getting those spears into him," Treolin explained with an ever so slight impatient tone. Jake looked around at the group they had. There were four Na'vi hunters and six Drakeons. All of them had at least one of the bioluminescent marks so he knew that they were probably pretty good. Seeing all of this boosted his confidence a little, but still not greatly.

The hunting team reached the narrow tube of rock that led to the surface. They all started to climb up one at a time with Jake and Treolin going last. Once all out, they sealed the entrance and continued on their hunt. As soon as Jake got to the surface, he saw that it was actually mid-afternoon. The rays of light shone through all of the cracks and holes in the walls making it much easier to see. The hunting party paid close attention to every last movement within the numerous hallways and rooms.

Jake soon noticed that they were heading back to the area where they had first entered Hell's Gate. He briskly walked up ahead of the group to the small room that they came in through. Once he got to the large hole in the wall, his eyes widened with shock and he put his had over his mouth to help keep himself silent. Treolin and another Drakeon came over to see what had happened and they saw what Jake was looking at. All of the ikrans that the Omiticaya had come over on were killed scattered out onto the air field in a sea of blood and dead bodies. Treolin grabbed Jake and turned him around to remind him of what they were out here for.

As they went deeper into the complex of Hell's Gate, less light was able to make it through and soon the only illumination came from the very dim artificial lights that were barely hanging on to their own life. It wasn't long until it was impossible to see in the narrow corridors. Treolin stepped toward another Drakeon and whispered something in his ear. The Drakeon then took out a crystal from the cave and threw it down the hallway. Once it hit the ground, it illuminated a green light briefly but bright enough for the group to see that there was nothing in their way.

One of the Na'vi felt the air around him shift as it something had just brushed by him. He then felt a light weight on top of his head only instants before his head was turned sharply to the right and suddenly everything went black for him. The rest of the hunting team heard a weak cracking sound at the same time and turned around to see what it was. They all got their weapons ready as one of the Drakeons got out another crystal and threw it to the ground illuminating the hall for another brief moment, long enough for them to see that Escora was standing in the middle of the group. One of the Na'vi charged but Escora swung around and slit the Na'vi's throat with his claws. The Drakeons backed away as they each threw sharp crystals from the cave at different parts of Escora's body. He leaned back and waved his hand causing the crystals to stray from their trajectories into two of the remaining Na'vi. He then raised his hands up and quickly brought them back down making the ceiling of the hall collapse on top of some of the Drakeons.

There was a small cloud of dust that erupted from the cave in. After it cleared, Jake saw that he was cut off from the rest of the hunters by the mound of debris from the ceiling. He rushed to it and started digging as fast as he could to get back to them. His mind was so focused on the task that he didn't notice Escora walking up behind him. Escora made a swift move of his arm into Jake's neck and he was out in an instant.

* * *

Jake's eyes slowly lifted open. He tried to move his hands to them but as soon as he did, they were stopped. He looked around and saw that his hands were tied to the ceiling of the hallway and his feet were tied to the floor.

"Awake are we?" Jake heard a rough and rather vile voice ask from somewhere close by. He looked toward it and found Escora standing near him. At least, he thought it was Escora. In appearance, he looked almost identical to Treolin. The only differences were several scars all over his body and what looked like the kind of marking that the Drakeons drew for slaying a beast on his forehead. Only it looked like Escora had tried to scrape out the glowing fluid himself leaving several nasty looking cuts all over his face.

"Yes, I am Escora. The Escora," Escora hissed at Jake.

"I have only one question to ask you and I hope to get an answer quickly," he continued. "Where are the Omiticaya hiding?"

"If you're so powerful, then shouldn't you already know?" Jake questioned, trying to sound as threatening as he could. Escora only laughed under his breath.

"You see, I don't have any shadows left at my disposal right now. And I wasted yours!"

"Wasted it?

"Yes, I can only make one of each person or thing. And yours is used up. Now, where are the rest of your people hiding?" Escora asked again. He glared at Jake with an intensity that nearly stopped any words from coming out.

"Not answering?" Escora asked as he put one of his blade like claws up to Jake's chest and quickly swiped it across horizontally, cutting into Jake's pale blue skin. Blood quickly drew itself out and trickled down the rest of Jake's body. Jake tightly winced in pain and grunted before looking at Escora again.

"Why do you hate the Na'vi so much?!" Jake yelled through the pain. Escora again only glared at him. He then grabbed his head and forced his eyes to look into his.

"I will show you." With that, Jake's mind was flooded with images of another Na'vi clan. They were all surrounding Escora. The next image was of them attacking Escora and the final image was off all their dead bodies hanging by their necks with 'E's carved into them. Jake suddenly felt like he was choking and gasped for air as Escora let go.

"So, will you answer my question now?" Escora asked again, starting to grow impatient.

"You could kill me, and I would never tell you. Their lives are more valuable than mine," Jake stated, determined to ignore whatever Escora could throw at him.

"Oh be quiet!" Escora shouted as he made another slash into Jake's flesh, this time cutting vertically. Jake once again winced in pain as he felt more of his warm blood slide down his chest and dripped onto the ground below.

"I would never kill you. Not like this. You see, you are very special and in a way that even I can respect," Escora started only to be interrupted by Jake.

"Let me guess, I'm the only creature in the universe to have lived as two species in one lifetime?" Jake taunted at Escora. He was only greeted by another horizontal slash to his chest a few inches below the last one.

"Now that that has been made clear by both of us, let us review this little transformation of yours shall we?" Escora continued. Jake was barely able to listen past the stinging of the three marks made on his chest.

"When you rode the pali, you proved that you were willing to become one of the Na'vi. When you rode the ikran, you proved that you were ready to become one of them," Escora started slowly pacing around Jake. "When you rode the Toruk, you proved that you were determined to be accepted as one of them," Escora paused and looked back at Jake. "And when you mated with Neytiri, you proved that you were one of them." He finished. Jake struggled against his bindings to punch Escora for mentioning Neytiri in such a way.

"Now tell me Jake," Escora moved his mouth to the side of Jake's head, "What do all these events have in common?" he hissed in Jake's ear. As he said this, he also made a fourth slash into Jake's chest. This one finished the letter 'E' that was characteristic of Escora. Jake continued to wince in pain and was unable to respond immediately.

"Don't have an answer? Let me give you a hint," Escora said while pacing towards Jake's back. Jake suddenly felt a light grip on his queue and his eyes widened in panic.

"No!" Jake shouted just before Escora yanked Jake's head back and used his bladed claws like scissors and cut off the braid. Jake roared in agony as he felt his queue leave his body. At this same time, he felt the entire world of Pandora leave him. He gritted his teeth as all of his memories were shattered. It was only instants after that he also realized what just happened to him. He could no longer ride an ikran, no longer connect to the Tree of Souls. Everything that had made him a Na'vi was taken away from him in an instant. Escora then took his severed braid and held it out in front of Jake tauntingly. Jake opened his eyes slowly and snapped his jaw trying to bight Escora.

"You know, if this is what you used to mate with Neytiri, then this means that she is free for the taking," Escora continued to taunt Jake. Jake's expression changed to mixture of hatred and disgust when he realized what exactly Escora was saying.

"You wouldn't dare!" Jake hissed out through his jaw which he kept tightly clamped down on itself to help cope with all the pain he was going through.

"Oh, I dare," Escora whispered next to Jake's ear. Jake had a newfound anger boiling up inside of him all of which was focused on Escora and Escora only. The anger brought strength as he finally tore through the bindings and clawed at Escora's neck. Much to his surprise he actually managed to catch Escora off guard and knocked him to the ground. Escora was quick to get back up as he swung his arm around and hit Jake into the wall.

"You know, that is the closest someone has come to killing me in over two years. I can respect that," Escora spoke through a bloodied jaw.

"Tell you what, I'll give you a head start," he continued. Jake looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Ten… Nine… Eight…" Escora started counting down. Jake knew that this would be his only chance as Escora pushed his hand towards the wall of debris that separated them from the rest of Pandora and it went flying all throughout the halls. After the way was clear, Jake dashed off and made a sharp turn as soon as he could to get away. He ran in the general direction of the mouth of the cave to get back to the rest of the Na'vi but he stopped as soon as a realization hit him.

His own trail of blood would lead Escora directly to the cave.

He held back tears that were welling up in his eyes as he turned around to leave Hell's Gate completely and abandon his people.

* * *

_And that's chapter 8!_

_Gasp! What a twist! How is Jake going to get out of this one? What will the rest of the Omiticaya and Drakeons do? What is Escora planning?_

_Next chapter: We learn why Escora hates the Na'vi so much and what the rest of the Omiticaya and Drakeons were doing while Jake was being tortured!_


	9. Discovered

_Welcome to chapter 9!_

_The first part of this chapter is what the hunting party and the people in the caves were doing during the torture scene from chapter 8. Once I start typing about Jake again, that is when we jump back to the present._

* * *

After the cave in, Treolin was one of the first to come back to his senses. He looked around and saw that three of the other Drakeons had been crushed by the debris and that there was only one Na'vi left. He quickly buried his sadness under a cover of order and priority. As the other members got to their senses, Treolin explained the situation and the fact that they had to go back to the caves before they were spotted by Escora. Despite the reluctancy of the Na'vi to agree to such a course of action, the group proceeded.

As Treolin delivered the news about Jake's disappearance, he received exactly the reactions that he expected. Gasps, cries of disbelief, denial, sorrow, all of it brought him a feeling of dread and guilt. Despite that however, he knew that he was needed elsewhere and thus pushed on through the group. He was stopped by one of the Na'vi though. When he turned around, he saw that it was Neytiri.

"Neytiri, I am sorry, but there was nothing that any of us could do," he started before Neytiri said anything. Treolin was well aware of what she and Jake shared and thus already knew what kind of question she was going to ask. She closed her eyes tightly and looked away from him.

"Neytiri, I understand what Jake means to you," Neytiri opened her eyes with a look of surprise on her face.

"How?"

"We are always aware of what goes on around us. We know all about how Jake is your mate. How he is the sixth Toruk Makto, We are aware of how much sorrow this news brings to you," Treolin was going to continue but he saw that Neytiri was not eased in any way. If anything, she just had more questions, but Treolin didn't feel like answering them. He gently nudged Neytiri out of his way and proceeded.

Treolin briskly walked through the caves past several Drakeon and then to Xavion's cavern. He halted just before he entered through the crystal encrusted doorway and asked for permission to enter. Xavion raised his hand signaling that Treolin was free to move in and out as he wished.

"Well Treolin, what do you wish to speak with me about?" Xavion turned to face Treolin as he spoke in the Drakeon language.

"Xavion, I think that Escora is getting dangerously close to finding the rest of these Na'vi. I think they have to be moved," Treolin responed. Unknown to both of them, Neytiri had crept up to the doorway that separated the crystal cavern from the rest of the caves. She couldn't understand any of what they were saying, but she did recognize when they said _Na'vi_.

"He will no longer be coming for us," Xavion said with a tone of reassurance. Treolin was taken back and gesticulated for Xavion to continue.

"Don't you see? He isn't after the Na'vi. Not even the Omiticaya. He is after Jake," Neytiri also recognized Jake's name. "Now he has what he wants and should leave the rest of the Na'vi alone," Treolin got only more confused. He thought that he understood Escora's motives as much as Xavion but now he realized that he was clearly mistaken.

"Jake is the only thing on this world that is proof of Eywa's existence. That is what he is going to want to destroy. Now that Jake is dead, he has no reason to hunt any more of the Na'vi," Treolin's expression changed from one of confusion to one of frustration.

"So what am I supposed to tell the Omiticaya? That we deliberately set up their sixth Toruk Makto to be killed?! I don't think that they will take that kindly. We are already in a weakened state from what has happened to us over the years. I don't think a violent outrage from who knows how many Na'vi clans is going help much!" Treolin was on the brink of storming off and Neytiri knew it from his tone. She also didn't like the way she was using the words that she could understand. She quickly got up to her feet and ran off as quietly as she could over the rocky floor of the caverns.

* * *

Jake tried his best to run from Hell's Gate, although he ended up just quickly limping his way across the air field. He looked back to see if Escora was following him. It was getting late into the evening at that point, and visibility without Pandora's light-giving flora was difficult. He thought that once he was back in the forest, he would feel safe again, being with the nature and out of where Escora could find him. He ended up feeling anything but.

Being out in the forest only made him feel alone. In a way it felt very similar to when he first walked through the Pandoran soil in his Avatar body. There was no where now that he could call 'home'. No other Na'vi that would help him. No team, no refuge. He knew all to well what kinds of horrors the Pandoran night could bring, but then again, he would take that over having to face Escora again.

Just thinking of him made all of the wounds on his body sting that much more. The pain had crippled him to having to crawl across the dirt. He found a fallen tree and he heaved himself up to rest against it. His breathing deepened and his chest began to sting again. He clenched the wounds tightly to help with the bleeding, but nothing dulled the pain. He looked around for a specific plant that Neytiri said had heeling properties. After scanning all that was in front of him, he found some. It was about fifty feet away though. He inhaled and got onto his hands and knees and slowly pulled himself through the dirt. He was determined, but he was losing blood faster than he thought and he arms weakened. As soon as he raised one, the other buckled and he collapsed face first into the ground. He had just enough strength to turn himself over onto his back and stare into the treetops. As he rested his head down, he felt a sharp pain from where his queue had been. He reached to the back of his hand to fell it. Trying to prove to himself that it hadn't been taken away. When he felt nothing, he closed his eyes and tried to scream, but nothing came out. He looked to the sky, exhaled, and closed his eyes.

* * *

Neytiri no longer trusted the Drakeons, especially Treolin and Xavion. Something about the conversation they had set her off. She could tell that Treolin was angry at something about Jake. She now also didn't believe that what Treolin said about Jake being killed was true, and now she was determined to go and find him. She lightly ran past all of the Drakeons and a few Na'vi. Most of them didn't pay any notice to where she was going or what she intended to do.

As she drew closer to the mouth of the cave, the light became too dim for her to clearly make everything out. Once she reached the wall of the hole that lead to the top, she was reduced to having to reach around to find the rocks that she could climb on. When she reached out, she felt something softer though, and it slowly swayed away from her when she touched it.

"Hello?" she whispered. She was certain that someone was standing next to her, but she still wanted to stay hidden.

"Neytiri! What are you doing over here?" She whipped around at the sound of Treolin's voice. What really shocked her was that his voice came from behind her, while the softer than rock substance was in front of her.

"Treolin? Can you see?" Neytiri asked. Due to the near pitch black color of Drakeon skin, Treolin was invisible.

"Better than you can," Treolin responded. He reached over to the wall and Neytiri heard a cracking sound. Treolin had broken off a crystal from the cavern wall and as soon as he did, it emitted light. He waved his newly made 'torch' towards Neytiri to see her more clearly. He also saw something behind her though and he asked her to move to the side. Neytiri realized the opportunity to finally be able to see what she had found and turned around herself.

When he focused her eyes on what there was to see, they widened in shock and she back away into Treolin. There was one of the Na'vi hunters, hanging by his neck, with the letter 'E' carved on his chest. Treolin also saw the monstrosity and grabbed Neytiri. He immediately started sprinting away pulling Neytiri with him.

"Neytiri, I need you to go to the rest of the Omiticaya and warn them that this cave is no longer safe. Be sure that none of them go anywhere, I will meet you and the rest of them and show you to a safe place. Hurry!" Treolin instructed. Neytiri shakily nodded and darted off away from Treolin. Without Neytiri, he flapped his wings and flew towards Xavion's cavern.

"Xavion!" Treolin yelled, despite that he wasn't at the cavern yet. "You were wrong! Escora isn't finished yet!" He now was able to see Xavion. He ran towards Treolin.

"What do you mean? What has happened?" Xavion felt that he already knew the answer, but he wanted to be sure.

"Escora's down here Xavion. He's inside the caves!" Xavion stepped back in fear, almost as if Treolin was Escora.

"Gather everyone, we will all meet at the lake," Xavion ordered.

"The lake? That doesn't lead anywhere!" Xavion's eyes narrowed.

"Yes it does, get everybody there as fast as you can!" Treolin knew that the faster he did as he was told, the more people that would survive. He quickly nodded and ran towards the rest of the Drakeons and told them what had happened.

Neytiri did likewise with the Omiticaya. There was a brief commotion before Treolin showed up. He explained that Xavion had a plan to get them all out of the cave safely. He instructed them which direction to go as he would have to stay behind a little longer and try to locate Escora. Without any other plan, the Na'vi obeyed and went towards the lake in the direction he told them.

Treolin met up with some other Drakeons as they started to frantically search for any sign of Escora. All of the other Drakeons and Na'vi had already made it to the lake to meet Xavion for instruction. Treolin still didn't know about what Xavion was planning to do, but he trusted him enough.

"Treolin!" One of the Drakeons called out. A large rock began tumbling toward Treolin. He jumped and was only just able to fly over it. When he landed, he caught a brief glimpse of Escora running toward the Na'vi. Treolin gave chase but Escora saw him running before Treolin could even get close. Escora motioned his hand and a small section of the cave ceiling came crashing down in front of Treolin.

Escora jumped and flew to catch up with the Na'vi. As soon as they were in sight, he motioned his hand again and several sharp rocks flew out and skewered two of the Omiticaya. Several other Na'vi stopped briefly and looked back to see what had happened. Despite them being stopped for only a moment, that was enough time for Escora to act. He grabbed one of them by the head and swung him around smashing him into two other Na'vi with a force great enough to send them flying into the rock walls, snapping the held Na'vi's neck in the process. Escora looked ahead and saw Neytiri running near the front of the group. He flew off to catch her, slashing and impaling several Na'vi that he came across. Once he did, he grabbed and threw her back across the cave and into a wall behind the running group.

Before she could come to her senses, Escora had already gotten up to her and pinned her against the wall. The rock in the wall began to wrap around her wrists and ankles, immobilizing her. He moved his body closer to hers and smirked. Neytiri looked away in disgust but Escora held it in place too. She cried out for help and struggled against her bindings but it only caused Escora to grab a hold of her neck nearly choking. He brought one of his claws up to her chest and made a horizontal slash. She clenched her teeth in pain as Escora only smiled. Out of the corner of his eye though, he saw a crystal spear flying towards him at high speed. He whipped around and shattered it with his hand just before Treolin jumped and tried to hit him. Escora took a step back, and looked at both of them. He growled and then took off.

Treolin wasted no time in breaking the rock bindings that restrained Neytiri. He grabbed onto her and then flew off towards the lake hoping to catch up with Xavion.

* * *

_And that's chapter 9!_

_Wow, the chapters just keep getting longer don't they? Anyway, I know that I didn't really explain why Escora hates the Na'vi in general. I was going to put the explanation in this chapter, but I felt that it was getting a little too long for it to really have an impact._

_Next chapter: We really find out why Escora hates the Na'vi and we see what happened to Jake!_


	10. Genocide

_Welcome to chapter 10!_

_Double digits already? Boy, we really have come a long way haven't we faithful readers? Anyway, as I said I think in chapter 7, I've decided that I will be making another story focusing completely on the Drakeons, particularly Drega._

_Also, be careful when reading from here on out. The story gets pretty complicated_.

* * *

Treolin and Neytiri were, not surprisingly, the last people to reach the lake. They could still see Xavion directing people on where to go.

"Xavion? Where are we going?" Treolin said in a now raspy tone from running and flying so fast.

"Just follow me," Xavion commanded. Without further delay, Xavion and Treolin dived into the underground lake. Neytiri promptly followed. She was a fairly adept swimmer, but she was amazed at how fast the drakeons were. Everything about their menacing appearance suddenly made sense. The spikes on their backs became fins, their wings became flippers, and their limbs moved to make their bodies perfectly streamlined. She swung her arms through the water as fast as she could. The wound from Escora only made everything that much more difficult.

Treolin stopped and turned around to face Neytiri. He swam up to her as fast as he could and then pulled her along through the water much faster than she could every swim. Treolin was only able to barely make out Xavion passing through a narrow crevice in the side of the rock walls in the lack. Treolin assumed that this was some sort of secret exit that Xavion had known about but not him. He darted towards it and pulled himself and Neytiri through. He could tell that she was running out of air and could not be kept underwater for much longer. After they had made it through the crevice, Treolin could see the surface of the water. He could also see Xavion kicking his way above him and then swimming to the side instead of the surface. Treolin briefly looked towards where he was going and saw what was about to happen.

There was an Auropin in the lake.

Treolin had never actually seen one before, only heard of them. This creature was truly massive and was moving fast. It had ten limbs that ended in small fins that helped push it along. There were four large eyes bulging out of the head carapace which extended all that way along its back to its tail which ended in a barbed spine. There were also two large pincers armed at the front of its body. Luckily for Treolin, its attention was fully focused on Xavion, however, Treolin was torn. He couldn't decide whether to save Xavion or Neytiri. He looked back at Neytiri, she was only just able to hold onto him, her expression was blank. He then looked back at Xavion. He had drawn a blade made from the crystals of his cavern and had already engaged the Auropin. Treolin had no choice, he made the last few kicks to the surface of the water where he almost tossed Neytiri onto the new land. Her eyes shot opened and she gasped for air while clenching her chest wound.

Treolin only stayed on the surface to take a deep breath of air and then he dove back down to help Xavion. He saw that damage had already been done to the Auropin. There were slash marks on its carapace and blood dispersing throughout the lake. Treolin drew his own glaive derived from crystals in the caves and attacked the Auropin from the right while Xavion made a slashing motion from the left. The Auropin moved its pincers and nearly hit Treolin while it swung its tail to hit Xavion. Xavion flipped backwards through the water and swung his blade into the stomach of the Auropin. After a small wound had been made, Treolin dived down and impaled the Auropin using the hole that Xavion had made. The beast wasn't dead but it was immobilized to the point where Xavion and Treolin could make their escape to the surface for some much needed air.

* * *

Jake suddenly regained conscience and opened his eyes. He was flooded with light and quickly snapped them back shut. He moved his arms to block the light but stopped when he felt a slightly warm fluid move over his body. At that moment, everything started coming back to him. He remembered just what had happened to him and where he was supposed to be. He raised his head as much as he could to see what had become of his wounds. He had just enough time to see that his chest was covered in some sort of blood soaked fiber before the pain from his queue shot to his brain like a bullet bringing his head back to the ground. He moved his eyes to get a better idea of his surroundings. He saw that he was in some sort of small hut made inside of a tree.

"Jake," a figure called out to him. Jake looked over in the direction of the sound and saw a male Na'vi climb through an opening in the hut towards him.

"My name is Cre'zak, and there is a lot of explaining to do," the figure said.

"Where am I?" Jake asked in a weak and raspy voice

"There are many things that you are unsure of. But first, since you are awake, you must drink. You are greatly dehydrated," Cre'zak explained. There was already a small bowl shaped object woven out of the same fibers that bandaged Jake right next to him. Cre'zak reached over for it and held it over Jake's mouth. A small but steady stream of liquid fell upon his lips and he quickly lapped it up.

"I can already guess all of the questions that you have for me, so I will answer them one at a time, then I will tell you what you need to know. I am Cre'zak of the Ixtil clan. You are in my hideout east of Hell's Gate. You have been here for almost two days out cold. I know so much about the human language because for three of your years now, I have been spying on Hell's Gate and the English teaching schools," Cre'zak began to steadily supply Jake with answers. Despite the sudden burst of knowledge, Jake still had several other questions for him.

"Where is the rest of the Ixtil clan? Did you help in the war against the Sky People," Jake asked, interrupting Cre'zak. By the stunned expression on his face, Jake guessed that Cre'zak probably wasn't prepared to answer.

"I am the of the few remaining. There are only three of us left. The other two are out hunting while I was left here to watch after you. And no, we did not help in the war. Three years ago, our clan was almost completely wiped out. The three of us were lucky to have survived when it happened," Cre'zak started.

"What happened?" Jake asked almost as if that was an obligatory question at this point.

"If it were not for the 'E' on your body, we would not have saved you. You have no idea how important you are to us and the rest of the Na'vi. It was Escora that nearly wiped out our clan, and I would be lying if I said we did not bring it upon ourselves." Cre'zak looked like he had lost himself in the memories of what had happened. He looked away from Jake to the outside, and then returned his attention to Jake.

"Three years ago, Escora was spotted very near to our central village. We isolated ourselves back then. We did not know at that point what the Drakeons were. Despite our lack of knowledge, we could still tell that Escora's spirit had been corrupted and that nothing but evil radiated around him. He came in begging for help. As he got closer, we threatened him. He was never intimidated and he still moved forward. He got down onto his knees and asked for forgiveness. We were unable to provide it to him because he had never wronged us until that point. There was nothing to be sorry for to begin with. Alas, he still continued.

It was then that one of the hunters claimed to have seen a sign that Eywa wanted him dead, and he launched an arrow. Most of the other hunters followed his lead, but they had no idea of what kind of power they were going up against. I fled as soon as the battle started, but I do remember flames erupting from no where and then the bodies, the bodies that had been carved and hung. Almost my entire clan had been wiped out in mere minutes. Ever since then, I have tried to piece together why it all happened." Cre'zak stayed calm despite having to recall the horrible memories. Jake had been humbled by the story. He thought that the destruction of Hometree was bad, while it was obvious that this Na'vi had endured much worse.

"What did you find out?" Jake asked. He was ever eager to find out as much as he could to fight back against Escora.

"Too much. I learnt almost everything. You see Jake, Eywa exists on Pandora in the living. Drega exists in the dead. Through the dead members of my clan I was able to delve into Escora's mind, and learned why he was so outraged.

Jake, Escora knew that he had been tainted by Drega's presence in his body and mind, so he came to the Na'vi for help. To be clensed of Drega's corrupting influence. We denied him that chance, and so he went mad with the wishes of Drega's spirit. To exist in all life on Pandora just like Eywa does right now. The only thing that stands in his way is the Na'vi. We are intelligent, the only beings capable of resisting Drega's influence. So in order for Drega to take the place of Eywa, the Na'vi must be destroyed," Cre'zak continued. All of it was too much for Jake to digest at once. He raised a hand for Cre'zak to stop.

"So if every last Na'vi must be killed, why did he let me survive?" Jake asked. He assumed that Cre'zak in all of his knowledge about Escora and Drega would be able to give him an answer.

"Of that I'm uncertain Jake, but I can tell you that Escora never acts without reason. If he let you survive, then he wants you to live," Cre'zak answered to Jake's disappointment. Jake began to think back to when he was running from Hell's Gate, when he abandoned his people.

"I still don't get it," Jake started to talk to himself. Cre'zak listened attentively. "Why let me go?"

"I found you outside the walls of Hell's Gate. Is that where you intended to go?" Cre'zak asked, hoping to help them both figure out why Jake was still alive.

"No, I was going to go into the Drakeon cave, but I didn't," Jake continued.

"Why didn't you go into the cave?"

"Because I was worried that Escora might follow my trail of blood to the rest of the Omiticaya."

"How did you find the cave?"

"I followed a trail of…" Jake stopped as a realization hit him. "He already knew, he knew where the cave was," Jake stuttered. He hadn't answered the question of why he was let to survive, but he realized the urgency of the current situation.

"Cre'zak, I have to get back to Hell's Gate! How far is it from here?" Jake spoke quickly.

"Jake, you are in no condition to fight, but I will help you with this." Cre'zak unwrapped some of the bandages on Jake's chest and held them up to his queue.

"This will help dull the pain, but you must be careful not to hurt your chest any more than it already is. The Na'vi heal much faster than humans, but the wounds are still vunerable," Cre'zak explained. Jake got up as fast as he could and headed for the opening in the hut.

"By the way, Hell's Gate isn't far. Maybe two or so of your human miles west of here." Jake looked back, nodded his head and ran out into the open.

"Farewell Jake, let's hope you are more successful than I was," Cre'zak whispered to himself as he looked at a dead Na'vi body in the opposite direction Jake was going. It was his own.

* * *

_And that's chapter 10!_

_Wow! So much new information! As you might be able to tell, I am bending the world of Pandora and the nature of Eywa to help fit the story. Hope you guys don't mind, because it's going to be happening a lot in chapters to come._

_Also, a funny little idea of a story came into my head a few days ago that I might post in the near future, be sure to be on the look out!_

_Next chapter: Jake returns to Hell's Gate and we find out just where the Drakeons and the Omiticaya have ended up at!_


	11. Death Runs in the Family

_Welcome to chapter 11!_

_Sorry guys for the really long wait for this chapter. My computer that I usually type on died and I have to use my parent's computer to make this and this computer is rarely available for anything other than schoolwork. Hopefully this chapter will make up for the long wait…_

* * *

The fences of Hell's Gate came into Jake's view. He moved quickly but carefully. If he tripped or otherwise stumbled, his wounds might open up again and Cre'zak wouldn't be there to save him this time. The airfield was still littered with dead ikrans and the rotting smell was almost too much for Jake to handle but he pushed through to the opening where he and the rest of the Omiticaya had originally re-entered through. The interior of the compound seemed even more desolate now than it did when they came. He found the trail of blood that lead back to the opening of the cave and followed it back to its destination. The slab of metal that covered the entrance was tossed aside and it had some rope tied to it. Jake did not know for what, but he decided that it wasn't an important matter to him.

The interior of the cave was still glowing a familiar green like it had when Jake first found it and it seemed just as deserted. This time he was aware of what dangers could be lurking inside if Escora had found the cave. He picked up a sharp rock. It wasn't much, but it was better than his bare hands. He made his way down slowly and poised to attack. He had to be careful though as to not strike Treolin or any other Drakeon that looked nearly identical to Escora. Nothing but silence greeted Jake. He wanted to call out for Neytiri or Treolin to see if anybody was here, but doing so would give away his position to Escora.

Jake made it further into the cave and saw exactly what he feared; dead bodies. He lowered his guard slightly, he knew that Escora had attacked, he saw the characteristic 'E' on the bodies. It was unlikely that Escora had stuck around. Jake didn't even know exactly when the attack occurred. He took a deep breath, and decided to call out a name.

"Neytiri!" Jake called out into the emptiness. He waited for a response from anybody. He received nothing. His mind went racing with thoughts on what might have happened. What if she was dead? Maybe she made it out before Escora could get to her? Jake did not know, and almost didn't want to know. He kept walking back towards where the Drakeons had let the Omiticaya stay. The small sub-cavern bathed in a constant green glow. The cavern now seemed unforgiving where it first offered shelter. Jake's world had been turned upside down. He did not know what to expect anymore. He felt helpless.

Then, he saw her. Neytiri laying on her side facing away from Jake. She looked as if in deep sleep.

"Neytiri?" Jake called out as he swiftly made his way over to her. He turned her over and his face changed from a look of hope, to a look of despair.

She had an 'E' carved into her as well.

"No! Neytiri!" Jake cradled her lifeless form in his arms. Every part of his body went numb as his mind went to disbelief. He held her as close to him as he could, weeping as he did so. He looked at her face. There was no expression. He could only close his eyes to hide the reality of what happened.

As soon as he did, something changed. He felt something surging inside him. He looked at the 'E' carved into her body. He thought of Escora. He curled his hands into a fist so tight that he cut off the circulation to his fingers. He gritted his teeth as he felt himself become stronger. He was not going to let Escora kill Neytiri and walk away with it. All the pain in his body disappeared. Every emotion he felt was replaced. Replaced by something stronger. Stronger than when he bonded with theToruk. He felt a power stronger than what Eywa had ever given him. All of it directed at Escora with nothing standing in its way. The feeling was familiar. Familiar to the time that he had fought Quadrich.

It was hate.

* * *

The lake had led the Drakeons and the rest of the Omiticaya to a small cave that led into the forest. From the outside, it was very difficult to spot, which was probably why the Drakeons had never been spotted before. They all resided there for the past day to rest and try to figure out everything that was happening. After that day, the Omiticaya began to search for somewhere to call home. They couldn't stay with the Drakeons forever, and they still needed a new Hometree. Everyone had to do their best to forget the tragedies that had occurred recently. This was harder for some than others.

Neytiri wandered by herself, trying to put everything behind her. Finding out that Jake was killed was tragic, but something else didn't seem right. Every time she felt the pain from the wound Escora had dealt her, she kept thinking back to that one moment, when he pinned her against the cave wall. Ever since then, she felt as if something had been stolen from her. A memory or a feeling. She couldn't put a name on it, but she was less of what she used to be, and she had no idea why.

She was so lost in thought , that she didn't pay close attention to where she was going. Her attention was brought back to the present when he heard cracking under her feet. She looked down, and found something unusual. There were bones on the ground, it almost looked like a complete skeleton. She did not know what animal it may have come from. She was convinced though that it couldn't have been another Na'vi. If it was a Na'vi that died, it would have been buried. What was even more startling was that this wasn't the only skeleton. As Neytiri looked farther out into the surrounding forest, she saw hundreds of skeletons. All of them were the size and shape of a Na'vi. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. A sense of panic filled her and she slowly made her way out of the field of bones.

"Neytiri!" she heard a voice cry in the distance. She turned around to find Treolin rushing up to meet her. He saw the skeletons too and held her shaking form. Neytiri kneeled down to one of the bones. It was an un-broken skull. On that note, all of the bones looked un-disturbed. She touched the skull, trying to decipher some meaning from it. As soon as her fingers made contact though, she screamed and jolted backwards, falling over. Treolin caught her and turned her to face him. Her eyes were sealed shut.

"Neytiri!" Treolin shouted, trying to get her to respond. He cried her name again, but still no words escaped Neytiri's lips. She looked like she was suffocating, as if an intense pain ringed throughout her body. After a few moments of torment, she opened her eyes and exhaled.

"Neytiri, what did you see?" Treolin asked hurridly. He was almost afraid of the answer. She looked up to him with pained eyes.

"Terrible things," Neytiri whispered. Treolin looked ahead to the field of skeletons. He was shocked that they had remained undisturbed. He gently lifted Neytiri off the ground and took her back to the cave. She looked at the skeletons for as long as she could. There was something hypnotic about them, she couldn't take her eyes off them.

* * *

Jake made his way to the mouth of the cave that led to Hell's Gate. His hands were bleeding from punching into the rock walls of the cavern out of anger. Once he was out into the metal halls of Hell's Gate, he looked towards the ceiling and saw a rusted pipe that ran the length of the hallway. He grabbed it with both hands and violently ripped it from the ceiling. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have been able to do this, but now he felt stronger. With the sharp rusted pipe in hand, he left Hell's Gate with only one goal in mind.

Kill Escora.

* * *

_And that's chapter 11!_

_Again, sorry for the really long wait everybody, hope these next few chapters make up for it. Now, I'm not sure if I already said this in one of these little notes at the beginning and end of every chapter, so I'm going to say it now as to avoid confusion._

_I know that cutting off the queue of a Na'vi is lethal to them and I already have an explanation ready in the story as to why Jake is still alive._

_Next chapter: Jake reunites with the Drakeons and Omiticaya only to make a shocking discovery about himself and Escora plans his next move._


	12. A Cold Reunion

_Welcome to chapter 12!_

_It is chapter 12 right? I'm too lazy to check right now. Anyway, I have good news faithful readers! A friend of mine has been able to give me a free copy of Word! The best part? It's totally legal! So hopefully, these updates will be a little faster._

Escora glided into the pit that held the Tree of Souls. There wasn't a creature to be found anywhere. He landed carefully and made his way towards the base of the tree. The tentacles that hung from every corner of the tree brushed against Escora's shoulders. Hey pushed them aside until he reached the center of the tree. He lifted his claw bearing hand up and placed it on the side. The razor sharp blades that were his claws slightly dug in and Escora closed his eyes.

"One of these days Drega," Escora whispered to both the tree and himself. "You will return."

Jake stalked through the forest around Hell's Gate. The pipe that he ripped from the halls was always ready to strike. He did remain extremely cautious though as to avoid hurting any innocent animals. All of the animals that he did see gave him glaring looks. It was like they didn't recognize him and thus treated him as a stranger. It was odd to see them like this. They seemed more tense around him than they did with the humans. He found himself instinctively hissing at most of them to get them to back off. He kept thinking back to Neytiri's dead body. Every time he thought about it, he seemed to get stronger. Everything now tied back to Escora. He absolutely hated the drakeon. After this strength came back to him, he plowed through the low vegetation to cover more ground. He was so focused now, that he barely noticed when a Na'vi called out his name.

"Jake!" the voice called out again. This time Jake turned around. It was Cre'zak calling him. Jake thought about how Cre'zak was able to find him, but he kept moving forward, ignoring him.

"Jake! Did you find Escora?" Cre'zak said as he caught up to Jake. He must have been running around trying to find Jake for a while. Cre'zak was out of breath.

"No," Jake responded promptly. He didn't turn to face Cre'zak.

"What did you find then? What happened?" Cre'zak asked. He saw that Jake was angry.

"Neytiri's dead. Escora killed her," Jake responded. He kept trudging through the undergrowth of the forests. Completely focused on finding Escora.

"What?" Cre'zak responded. He ran forward until he was in front of Jake and then he stopped him.

"Get out of my way!" Jake yelled.

"Jake, there is still hope. I came looking for you because I know where the rest of the Omiticaya are. Escora did not kill them all."

"What? Where are they?" Jake's tone softened. Some of the hate for Escora seemed to disappear.

"They are near an underground lake not far from here. Come on, if we hurry, we might be able to get there within a few of your human hours." Cre'zak proceeded to lead the way and Jake quickly followed.

Treolin had let Neytiri rest near the lake for a while after her experience at the field of bones. He was at that very field right now, examining all of the remains. He was still shocked at how pristine all of the bones were. By his estimations, they had probably been there for years, and yet they still looked as if they were placed there yesterday. Despite how much he wanted to examine them closer, he didn't dare to touch any of them for risk of going into the despair that Neytiri had suffered earlier.

He heard footsteps, but they weren't coming from the nearby lake. They were coming from across the field of bones. He listened closely, and then he was able to make out voices.

"Wait, don't move any closer," he heard one of the voices say. It sounded unfamiliar and it was speaking in English.

"Why, what's here?" said a different voice. Treolin understood this one more but he couldn't believe that it was who he thought it was. He thought about the risks of alerting them to his position, but he had to know if the voice he just heard was Jake's.

"Jake?" Treolin called out. Immediately he heard the strangers turn in his direction.

"Treolin?" Jake called out in return.

"Jake! You're alive!" Treolin yelled in relief. Jake took a step toward him and accidentally stepped into the field of bones and crushed one of them with his foot. Cre'zak clenched his head and fell over on the ground.

"Cre'zak! What happened?" Jake kneeled down and picked up Cre'zak.

"Go to the Drakeons! Go around the bones!" Cre'zak commanded while gritting his teeth in pain. Jake carried him as fast as he could around. Treolin simultaneously ran around the field to meet Jake. He grabbed Cre'zak and told Jake to follow him to the rest of the Omitcaya. Treolin started flying to the lake as Jake ran after him as fast as he could.

As Treolin reached the rest of the Omiticaya and Drakeons, a crowd started to form to see what the new Na'vi was about. Questions of what happened and who the Na'vi was filled Treolin's head.

"Jake is back, this Na'vi was with him," Treolin responded. Neytiri's eyes widened as she heard that Jake was alive. She sprinted away from the group and in the opposite direction of which Treolin has showed up, towards the field of bones. She immediately saw Jake running towards the lake trying to catch up to Treolin.

"Jake!" Neytiri yelled at the top of her lungs. Jake saw her and ran towards her instead. All of the hate towards Escora nearly disappeared at it was overwhelmed by his love for Neytiri. As soon as it did, his world slowed down. His vision became darker. His feelings of love and joy were replaced by pain and dread. He collapsed onto his knees and then his stomach just before he reached Neytiri. She called his name, asking for him to get up. She was speaking loudly, but Jake could barely make out a word she said. His vision became black and he slipped out of conscience.

Escora, who was making his own way towards Hell's Gate, felt a horrible pain as soon as Jake collapsed. It was as if a massive weight had suddenly been put on top of him. He concentrated hard and soon, the pain subsided. He felt weaker than before, but not in pain anymore. He grunted as he walked forward.

"When you wake up Jake, take a good long look at everyone around you. It's the last time you'll get to see them."

_And that's chapter 12!_

_Did the ending of this chapter surprise you? I hope it did! Anyway, I'll try to get these updates posted faster in the future. This story's nearing its climax, so don't miss the next chapters!_

_Next chapter: A deep and dark secret of Cre'zak is revealed and Jake tries to catch up on everything that has happened! _


	13. The First Kill

_Welcome to chapter 13!_

_I noticed in the last chapter that the borders between the sections got screwed up, so we aren't going to have those neat lines anymore. I'm going to replace them with "x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x" for now. So as I mentioned, this story is coming to a close, and things are going to get a lot more intense! Also, I offer my sincerest apologies for this ridiculously late update. Between camping in Utah, taking Spanish 3, getting ready for school again, and making a video series for YouTube, I haven't had as much time as I thought I would over the summer._

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Jake heard the sound of footsteps in the distance. It was actually very close, but his hearing hadn't fully come back to him. His head felt like it was being crushed and his queue felt like it was burning. He opened his eyes, and beside from the glow of the Pandoran flora, it was relatively dark, which he was thankful for. He squinted his eyes to try to see better and he turned his head around. As soon as he made a sound, a voice greeted him.

"Jake," it was Neytiri. She had been right next to him and she pulled him into her arms as soon as he was up. He amassed as much strength as he could and brought his arm around her neck as he stared into her eyes.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you again," Jake said as he curled his lips into the best smile he could. Neytiri moved her arm to his neck and her expression became one of concern. She was surprised that she didn't notice Jake's queue missing when she first saw him. Jake could tell that it was his lack of the braid that she was noticing and he sighed.

"It's been rough."

"What happened?" she asked pleadingly. She was also shocked that Jake was still alive.

"Escora. Escora did this," Jake said as he reached around and held his stub of a Na'vi braid. As soon as he touched it, he felt something enter his mind. It was a voice, he could tell that it probably belonged to Escora, but he couldn't make out what he was saying. When the sound left his mind, he felt stronger. He moved away from Neytiri and pushed himself up. A sense of priority returned to him from when he was out for nothing but to kill Escora. Only this time, he wasn't fueled by hatred alone.

"Neytiri, where is Cre'zak?" Jake asked intently. Neytiri was taken aback by Jake's change in behavior.

"He is at the field of death, that way," she responded while pointing in the direction of the bones Jake had seen earlier when he first got back. He started off, but he heard Neytiri speaking.

"Jake, be careful. There is something dangerous about that field," she said.

"I'll handle it," Jake replied just before running towards the field.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Cre'zak and Xavion were at the field of bones, Cre'zak hadn't said a word since he arrived. He stared at the field with a look of dread. The bones looked as if they had been placed there deliberately and guarded so they would never be disturbed.

"Cre'zak, you look like you've seen this place before, what is it?" Xavion said, breaking the silence and trying to get Cre'zak to start talking.

"This is… my clan," Cre'zak said quietly. Jake overheard as he approached .

"Your clan?" Xavion asked in response. Jake had reached the two by this point.

"Hold on, you're saying that these bones are the same bones of your former clan? Escora's first victims three years ago? How the hell are they still around?" Jake questioned. He suspected that if he was right, then it would explain why Cre'zak collapsed when he stepped on one of the bones.

"Escora first used his powers on my clan. His spirit may linger within their remnants, scaring away any other life," Cre'zak explained. This gave Jake an idea. He very carefully walked through the field, stepping around and over every bone he saw. When he reached a small clearing where there were no bones, he sat down and reached over to a Na'vi skull. He ran his fingers along it and was instantly greeted with bizarre visions.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

_He was looking at a group of Na'vi going about regular business. He saw two hands reach out in front of him, they looked like the hands of a Drakeon. It looked as if he was seeing the world from the Drakeon's perspective. He was saying something, but Jake couldn't understand it. He noticed that whoever's perspective he was seeing this vision from was on his knees. That was when he realized that he was watching the day that Escora found Cre'zak's clan through Escora's eyes. There was one problem with the vision though. Cre'zak had said that he was returning from a hunt when all of this happened, but here, in the vision, Jake could see that Cre'zak was already with the rest of the clan._

"_He is an abomination! He is not of Eywa's existence! He must be destroyed!" one of the clan members shouted in Na'vi. Jake noticed that it was Cre'zak that had spoken. He proceeded to take out his bow and arrow and shoot at Escora. Escora then jumped up and clawed at Cre'zak. He jumped out of the way but Escora swiftly moved his hand causing several rocks to fly out of the ground and smash into Cre'zak. Escora ran towards Cre'zak and quickly stabbed him in the throat, killing him. He then started his first real massacre and within minutes he wiped out the entire clan._

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Jake was taken by surprise at what he just saw. He glanced over to Cre'zak, who was looking at him with a mix of concern and fear.

"It was you. You were the one that attacked Escora first. You're the reason why he's killing all of us!" Jake shouted with intense rage. As he looked back at the field of bones, he realized something else.

"You should be dead! You were the first Na'vi he killed! Which means that you're a…" Jake's voice weakened as he realized just what he figured out. He reached to the ground slowly, grabbed a large ceremonial dagger, and charged for Cre'zak, crushing many of the bones. As soon as he did, Cre'zak winced in pain and growled loudly. He reached behind himself, and ripped a shotgun out from his back and aimed at Jake. Jake stopped dead in his tracks, dumbstruck by how Cre'zak pulled a gun out of thin air. As he looked closely, he saw that Cre'zak must have ripped the skin off of another Na'vi and stitched it to his back to create a hidden pocket of skin.

"Way to piece it together, Jake," Cre'zak said as he shifted his aim towards Xavion, who was also shocked.

"Even if you kill me now, it will be too late. Remember, Escora can see through my eyes," he continued.

"Where is he?" Jake demanded.

"Jake, I would hardly consider you to be in a position that would intimidate me. Besides, you threatening me is only showing that Escora's plan is working," Cre'zak replied. Jake took a step forward in anger, but Cre'zak moved the end of the shotgun directly onto Xavion's forehead. He knew that Jake did not want to lose any more lives.

"I can see it already Jake. Hatred is consuming your soul. Well, what's left it your soul anyway." Jake realized that Cre'zak had several answers that he was looking for, he just had to get him to answer.

"Why did Escora let me out of the cave alive?" Jake questioned desperately.

"More concerned with that than the life of an ally? Delightful," Cre'zak taunted. Xavion took his chance to act and he grabbed the barrel of the shotgun and pulled it until it was aiming at the ground. Cre'zak fired but Xavion slashed at his chest and ripped the gun out of his hands. Cre'zak grabbed the barrel of the gun and tried to aim it at Jake, but Xavion maneuvered the gun until he was aiming at Cre'zak's palm, and fired. Cre'zak's face was hit with a splash of blood as he hand was violently ripped away. He grabbed his wrist tightly, growled at Xavion, and ran off as fast as he could towards safety.

Jake walked toward Xavion and looked at the direction Cre'zak ran off to.

"Escora's on his way isn't he?" Jake asked.

"We need to move everyone. Escora is probably determined to exterminate your clan today," Xavion answered.

"Where else is there to go? He have run from him three times now. He's just going to follow us until we are all dead. We have to kill him now," Jake responded firmly. Xavion nodded in agreement and the two of them headed back to the rest of the group.

Before they could get back, they heard multiple trees falling. Jake looked around for where the sound was coming from, fearing that it was Escora. Xavion urged Jake to rush back to the group as fast a possible. The two of them ran as the sounds got louder. Before long, they could hear a deep growling. Just after they did, a Palulukan landed in front of them. Jake stopped quickly out of caution, not forgetting what happened the first time he saw one. The beast was lying on its side and after a few seconds of inaction, Jake realized that he and Xavion were looking at a dead animal. Jake ran faster than ever as both he and Xavion realized what it must have taken to kill such an animal.

"Man, he must be pissed off now. Do you realize what it takes to kill one of those things?" Jake said to Xavion while they continued running. To answer his comment, Jake and Xavion heard very loud creaking metal and rustling trees. Jake turned around just in time to see a dozen or so trees knocked down simultaneously.

"My God," Jake said just loud enough for Xavion to hear. They were within sight of the rest of the group, and Xavion could tell that they were all looking in the same direction. He finally turned around to see a monstrosity beyond anything that he had expected from Escora. He had formed tons of metal around himself to create a massive golem from parts of Hell's Gate. The monster was covered in armor, weapons, and spikes and was staring at the remainder of the Omiticaya. After it was fully in sight, it erupted a booming amplification of Escora's voice.

"This time, you die!"

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_And that's chapter 13! The new borders look a little like barbed wire don't they? :D_

_Oh my God! Escora has pulled out all the stops and the final battle is upon them all! The final update will be faster I swear!_

_Next chapter: Escora launches his final assault against the Drakeons and Omiticaya and Jake discovers the secrets behind Drega, Escora, and how it all connects to him! You don't want to miss this!_


	14. Fall to Pieces

_Welcome to chapter 14!_

_I told you that the next update would be faster! But did you listen? Actually, I don't know if you believed me or not, oh well. Anyway, this chapter hopefully satisfies all of you that have patiently been waiting for it since the beginning. To all you returning readers and you new ones that have just discovered the story, thank you for sticking with me for this long!_

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The Omiticaya and the Drakeons were all fleeing for their lives. The monstrous behemoth that Escora had creating kept up with them with little effort. He swung his new metal arms and ripped dozens of trees from the ground. Nobody knew how to fight back. They knew that their weapons were no match for the Sky People technology. Jake knew that the only hope left was for Eywa to see what a horror Escora had become and send the life of Pandora out to stop him.

Escora reached out and grabbed one of the Na'vi. He then used both hands and twisted his body around his waist, smashing most of the bones while he did so, ripped the body in half, and threw the pieces at the fleeing Na'vi. He jumped what must have been hundreds of feet in the air and then landed in the middle of the running crowd, crushing many. Helicopter blades folded out of the golem's forearms and started spinning rapidly. He spun the golem's body around slicing the ground and many Na'vi and Drakeons while sending bits of dirt and rocks flying in all directions.

The group then fled in a radial pattern away from Escora. Jake, Neytiri, and Treolin stayed together and ran in the same direction as about a dozen other Na'vi and a couple other Drakeons. Escora, despite his immense power, couldn't attack all of them, and headed to kill a group running in the opposite direction as Jake did. As soon as he realized this, he stopped running.

"Jake!" Treolin called out. "We have to hide," he continued. Jake turned around and glared at him.

"Where?" he responded angrily. "Where on Pandora will he not find us?"

"I don't know Jake, but we have to prolong our existence enough to warn the other clans of Na'vi. Escora isn't going to stop at the Omiticaya, he is going to wipe out everyone." Jake turned away from everyone in the group. He couldn't handle the weight of their situation for much longer. He heard the screams of dying Na'vi and Drakeons in the distance. When they stopped, Treolin started moving.

"Jake, he's killed all there is in that direction, he's going to come after us next!" he stated.

"Do you have any idea where we could go? Do you know where the nearest Na'vi clan is?" he asked in response.

"No, but our safest bet is to go back to Hell's Gate, it has the most areas to hide and might still have weaponry,"

"Are you crazy? That place is just a goldmine of metal for him to use against us!" Jake exclaimed in protest.

"Damn it Jake! We don't have any other option, we have to save as many lives as we can, and we sure as hell aren't going to be able to do out here!" The group could hear the behemoth that Escora had become getting closer and they could see some of the taller trees falling.

"If you're not going to help these people Jake, I will." Treolin motioned for the other Na'vi to follow him as the golem started to come into view. It was firing small yet sharp pieces of its body at the group and they didn't have much time before Escora would start you use more devastating methods of attack. The last of the Omiticaya, including Neytiri, looked at Jake, and then ran to Hell's Gate. Jake knew that Treolin was right, and after a few seconds of indecision, he ran to catch up to them. Escora saw that they were heading to Hell's Gate, he smiled to himself, and then chased after them.

The group ahead of Jake saw the golem and they sprinted. The Drakeons started to fly to maintain some distance between themselves and Escora. Escora moved the arms of the golem down in the earth and started dragging them which smashed tons of dirt and rock. After a few more seconds, he quickly lifted his arms, sending hundreds of large rocks, plants, and dirt flying towards the group. Jake was unfortunate enough to helplessly watch as a hail of earth came down on the fleeing Na'vi. The Drakeons that were flying were able to dodge with ease, but two Na'vi were crushed almost instantly.

Hell's Gate was beginning to come into view. Thankfully, most of the fencing had been torn down by various wildlife and lack of maintenance. The small crowd quickly funneled through an opening in one of the walls with Jake coming in behind them. After they were a ways into the halls of Hell's Gate, everyone stopped to catch their breath. Many of them had never run faster in their lives and they were all exhausted. Jake pushed some of the Na'vi out of his way so he could look Treolin in the eye.

"Alright Treolin, so what do we do now?" Jake asked, obviously irritated by Treolin's attitude toward him. Treolin looked around the halls and then back to Jake.

"We need to find weapons. The humans must have left something behind when they left," Treolin replied.

"What the hell do you think a few handguns are going to do to that monster?" Jake responded. He refused to call Escora by name anymore.

"They're better than what we've got. Would you rather fight him with our bare hands?" Treolin answered. Now he was getting fed up with Jake's pessimism. In response to Treolin's question, Jake looked down. He knew that Treolin was right again, but he didn't like having to be back in Hell's Gate.

Any competition that was going on between Treolin and Jake stopped when they heard a loud creaking sound, followed by the sound of something being crushed above them. Everyone in the group tense up and started looking up. There were only so many ways that one could go in a hallway. Jake and Treolin and Jake went in opposite directions. There heard the crushing sound again, and one of the Na'vi put her hand over her mouth to muffle a gasp. Everyone was dead silent. They couldn't make a run to try and find any weapons and were virtually defensless.

The crushing became louder and this time, a large portion of the ceiling caved in between the two groups. A large metallic fist was revealed within the ruble and it tore through the hallway in Jake's direction, ripping off the ceiling in one swing. Everyone could now see the golem staring down at them. It brought one of its arms down and smashed through more of the hallway, crushing more Na'vi. Everyone now darted off in every direction that they could. Escora just ripped entire sections of Hell's Gate away in an awesome display of force and threw them at the fleeing individuals.

Jake ran with one other Na'vi and it wasn't long before Escora spotted them too. He was able to grab the sides of the hall they were running in and pulled them away from each other. The ground of the hallway was torn away from one side and was pulled along by another. It felt like a massive earthquake as the entire building shook knocking Jake and the other Na'vi off their feet. Escora then used the golem to grab a small tower that was near where Jake was and rip it from the rest of the complex. It began to fall towards Jake and the other Na'vi, while destroying other parts of Hell's Gate in the process. The entire structure was only seconds away from reaching its target when Escora finally noticed that Jake was one of the two Na'vi he was about to crush. He diverted some of the energy that he was using to hold the golem together and used it to create a shockwave that pushed Jake out of harm's way, but not the other Na'vi. Jake watched with shock as the Na'vi he was with was killed but he survived. He was also able to catch a glimpse of some metal falling off of the golem Escora had created.

Suddenly, so many of his questions were answered. Why did Escora let him live and run away from Hell's Gate? Why wasn't he killed instantly when his queue was cut off? Why did Cre'zak lead him back to the Na'vi even though he was a shadow? He knew the answer, and he also knew what he had to do to kill Escora. Jake took a deep breath. He realized that what he had to do was not going to be easy.

"It never is, is it?" Jake said to himself. He looked around him. Hell's Gate was almost completely in ruins. He had a clear view of the rampaging golem. He looked around again and spotted a small metal beat jutting out amidst the carnage. Jake took another breath, and charged for the beam.

He rammed himself into it, breaking several of his bones and slicing deep into himself. He and Escora screamed in pain at the same time. Jake looked at the golem. He fell away from the beam and looked at the wounds he had created. They started to quickly disappear and when he looked back at the golem, he saw more chunks of metal fall away from it.

"No!" Escora shouted from within the golem. He started to run towards Jake. Jake found a large, sharp piece of metal and cut into himself again. The wound again started to heal quickly and more parts fell off of the golem. The legs of the golem buckled and the entire thing collapsed. Escora dropped more parts off of it making the overall behemoth smaller. Jake ran through the debris of Hell's Gate as fast and as carefree as he could. Trying to injure himself in the most serious ways he could. Whenever he broke a bone, it healed, and Escora's golem became smaller and weaker. Despite the quick healing, none of the was painless. Jake was almost constantly gritting his teeth in agony, but he pressed on. The few surviving Na'vi and Treolin rushed to meet up with Jake, but were also careful not to get in the way of Escora.

The golem did everything it could to stop Jake, but Escora didn't have the energy to keep the golem moving and constantly heal Jake at the same time. Jake was doing unimaginable things to himself. He slit his throat, his wrists. He even tripped occasionally and broke his arms and legs. Eventually, Jake made it all the way to the airfield, and Escora's golem collapsed and completely fell apart, leaving Escora lying limp on the ground. The remaining pieces of his golem were all around him. He heard them being pushed aside violently. He saw Jake walk up to him. He was drenched in his own blood and looked light-headed, but extremely angry. He grabbed Escora by the neck, nearly choking him, but Escora was strong enough to still talk even through the squeeze.

"So you figured it out. You know why you're still alive," Jake only grabbed on tighter as Escora said this. He still had one question going through his mind.

"Why? Why did you sacrifice your own power to keep me alive?" Jake asked angrily. At this point, he didn't care if he lived or not, he just wanted to kill Escora.

"Like I said Jake, you are unimaginably special. Drega values you, and thus, so do I," Escora responded calmly. "In fact, I think that you are starting to value Drega. The simple fact that you are about to kill me is proof enough of that," he continued. Jake's eyes narrowed as he pulled Escora's head closer to himself.

"What do you mean?" Jake asked menacingly.

"Jake, what has Eywa given you that I haven't taken away or killed yet?" Jake paused for thought at this for a brief second.

"I still have" Jake started, but he was cut off by Escora.

"Neytiri? Sorry, but the bond you two shared no longer exists!" Escora stated. Jake's eyes widened as he forcefully slammed Escora's head back into the ground.

"When I attacked the Drakeon's in the cave, I made a deliberate effort to dissolve the bond that you had created with her. I suppose you could always get it back if you just mated" Escora paused, "Oh, that's right! You can't do that anymore can you!" Escora said as he smiled at Jake's misfortune. Jake was filled with rage and he tightened his grip on Escora's neck even more.

"You were born twice Jake," Escora was barely able to speak under Jake's grip "and so was I," Escora finished as he pulled the pin on a grenade the Jake had never noticed until now. He let off his grip on Escora's neck and he tried to pry the grenade from Escora's hand, but Escora held tightly and he started laughing. Jake knew he couldn't get rid of the grenade and he jumped behind some pieces of metal from the golem for cover just before the grenade went off, sending small metal fragments and pieces of Escora flying.

By this time, Treolin, Neytire, and a couple other Na'vi had caught up with Jake and saw the grenade go off. Treolin couldn't help but smile inward to himself as he knew that Escora was finally dead. Jake walked up to the small group with a look of defeat on his face.

"Jake! You did it! You killed Escora!"Treolin exclaimed. He then noticed the expression that Jake had and his tone changed.

"Jake, you have just saved countless lives and possibly the entire planet of Pandora. What's wrong?"

"It's not over," he said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Neytiri asked this time.

"He created a shadow of himself. He's still alive. It's the reason that I'm still alive." Treolin's expression changed to one of disbelief. He had never even considered that Escora could clone himself using shadows. Jake looked at Neytiri now.

"He also said that we don't share a bond anymore." Neytiri shook her head.

"That doesn't matter Jake. I still love you," she said as she embraced Jake, but Jake didn't embrace her back. He had so many things on his mind now, and Neytiri wasn't one of them.

He and the rest of the group looked around at all of the ruins, and knew that things weren't going to get any easier for them.

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_And that's The End!_

_What a twist, right? While this may be the end of "Fear", it is not the end of the story. Be sure to look out for the sequel coming soon! I will put "sequel to Fear" in the description so don't worry about have to search around for it. Anyway, thanks to everyone who read this far, favorite this story, put this story on their story alert list, reviewing it, etc.! You guys really motivated me to keep going. I love you all!_

_Also, if you want to, I have a story up on fictionpress titled "Scissor" that you can check out. It isn't finished yet, but I'll be working on that and the sequel to this story now._

_Thanks again!_


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